Hi - this is Srinivasan Sampathkumar from Triplicane. I have a passion for Marine Insurance, Cricket and of course Temples especially Thiruvallikkeni.
From Sept 2009, I am posting my thoughts in this blog ; From July 2010, my postings on Temples & Tamil are on my other blog titled "Kairavini Karayinile " (www.tamil.sampspeak.in)
Request you to keep providing your feedback which will help me improve and present better.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

It
is all about Herath, Rangana Herath, more fully : Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara
Herath.. .. he was not the Man of the Match though ! Back in Aug 2014, Srilanka beat Pakistan by
105 runs at Colombo. Herath had figures
of 9/127 and 5/57. He has so far played
71 tests and taken 313 wickets at an average of 29.64.

Pic credit : cricinfo.com

Pallekele,
is a suburb of the city of Kandy in
Kandy District, Sri Lanka. The suburb houses the famous Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Kandy, is the second largest city in the
country after Colombo. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri
Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses
an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea.

At
Pallekele - Sri Lankans beat
Australia. The final margin of 106 runs is all the more
extraordinary when you consider the way this match began. Sri Lanka were
skittled for 117 in the first innings and early in their second were 6 for 2,
in real danger of a humiliating innings defeat. They still needed 80 runs just
to make Australia bat again. But Kushal Mendis walked to the crease and from
then on to play 254 balls making it a different ball game. His hundred, only his second in first-class
cricket, will sure be remembered for
long by the island Nation.

This
humiliating defeat makes 7 in a row for Australia in Tests in Asia. This is the
worst such streak for a Test team from outside the subcontinent in Asia after
West Indies' ten consecutive losses between 1997 and 2002. Australia's last win
in Asia came against Sri Lanka, in Galle in 2011. Herath has now taken 7 Five-fors in the
fourth innings of Tests, equalling Muttiah Muralitharan's record. The legendary Muralitharan took 35 innings, as opposed to
Herath's 29. The other bowler to do this was Shane Warne, who did so in 53
innings. Overall, Herath has taken 24 five-fors in Tests - the tenth-highest
overall. Herath's match figures of 9 for 103 were his sixth-best in Tests.

There
was another record, rather statistical trivia ! = the Lankans bowled record 154 consecutive dot balls during 1st
Test victory over Australia – Aussies did not score a single run from the final
ball of the 63rd over to the third delivery of the 89th over.

The
debutant Sandakan had magic figures of 7/107 - the best by a chinaman bowler on
Test debut. The man born in 1991 has a
rather longish name : Paththamperuma
Arachchige Don Lakshan Rangika Sandakan.
He anyway is not a loner -
Herath, actually is : Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara
Herath. To think of some more - Shehan
Jayasuriya is : Dampalage Shehan
Naveendra Fonseka Gunawardene Jayasuriya.
The great left arm fast bowler, Vaas had more initials than his name -
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, is his full name !